Fluoride is a highly beneficial mineral for oral health and any pediatric dentist in Kapolei’s best friend. It prevents tooth decay and cavities, something fundamental for kids who are still learning to maintain their oral hygiene, and it helps keep your teeth whiter for longer—if you don’t overuse it.
Excess fluoride can lead to a cosmetic condition called fluorosis, which causes stains on a kid’s enamel. Fluorosis poses no risks to a child’s dental health, but to help you feel 100% reassured as a parent, here’s all you need to know about it.
What Is Fluorosis?
Dental fluorosis is a cosmetic condition that affects children’s teeth after overexposure to fluoride and causes mild discoloration.
Low levels of fluoride prevent cavities, which is why it’s often recommended by dental professionals for both children and adults. However, excess fluoride can alter the appearance of tooth enamel in children.
A child can develop fluorosis at any time during the development of their permanent teeth, that is, during their first eight years of life. Excess fluoride is often caused by accidental or premeditated toothpaste consumption.
Adults cannot get fluorosis—and it’s not only because they’re less likely to eat toothpaste. It’s because this condition affects a kid’s baby or primary teeth. Adults who have fluorosis have had this condition since they were kids, and it was left untreated.
According to Cleveland Clinic, mild fluorosis is quite common, affecting about 1 in every 4 Americans between the ages of 6 and 49. Moderate to severe fluorosis is far less common.
Causes of Fluorosis
Increased exposure to fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral that reduces the risk of cavities, results in fluorosis. Fluoride is added to toothpaste and mouthwash and to public drinking water sources in many places around the world to ensure the population’s oral health.
This is called water fluoridation. The American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider this practice to be safe and effective if there are 0.7 to 1.2 parts of fluoride per million parts of water. Moreover, deadly levels of fluoride are practically impossible to ingest.
However, kids are more prone to ingesting fluoride because they tend to swallow toothpaste when brushing their teeth. Fluoride levels are more concentrated in toothpaste and mouthwashes, making children younger than 8 and toddlers good candidates for fluorosis.
Another common cause of fluorosis is school-based fluoride treatment programs. These programs are common throughout the United States and, although effective in preventing cavities, may contribute to a child’s fluoride exposure.
Over time, the combination of fluoride water, toothpaste consumption, and fluoride treatments can cause fluorosis to develop.
Does Fluorosis Weaken My Kid’s Teeth?
No. The condition does not permanently damage teeth.
Moreover, oral health and function are unaffected in patients with dental fluorosis. In fact, those who have fluorosis are more cavity-resistant and less prone to tooth decay. That’s how fluoride’s properties were discovered when a young dentist moved to Colorado and noticed natives had brown stains on their teeth—but wouldn’t develop cavities.
This discovery led to governments adding safe levels of fluoride to their public water supplies in 1944. Nowadays, it’s common agreement that the benefits of fluoridation highly surpass the downsides.
Parents can help prevent fluorosis by watching over young children, particularly toddlers, while they brush their teeth and ensuring they begin receiving routine dental examinations by the time they turn one year old.
Symptoms of Fluorosis
Most cases of fluorosis are mild, being a simple, painless cosmetic condition. This makes the tooth enamel’s appearance become altered, typically taking on the appearance of white splotches or streaks.
Severe fluorosis can compromise dental health, but it’s very rare.
The main indicator that a patient has fluorosis is tooth discoloration, which varies depending on the severity of the case. Dentists classify fluorosis into the following categories:
- Questionable: Pale white specks and spots appear.
- Very mild: White spots that cover less than 25% of the tooth surface appear.
- Mild: The light white areas cover around 50% of the tooth enamel.
- Moderate: White or light brown areas cover more than 50% of the tooth enamel.
- Severe: White, light brown, or dark brown spots appear on the entire surface of the tooth. Enamel may have pitting, which are small depressions.
The discoloration from fluorosis is usually very mild, so parents and caregivers are usually unable to notice it. A child’s dentist, pediatrician, or another trained healthcare provider is needed to diagnose it, making regular dental check-ups a valuable dental habit for children.
Treatment for Fluorosis in Kids
Most cases of fluorosis are mild and do not require medical attention. In more extreme situations, permanent discoloration may be corrected with veneers, teeth whitening, enamel shaping, or other cosmetic dentistry procedures.
A child is no longer at risk of developing fluorosis after the age of eight. Before then, the following are some ways parents and caregivers can prevent fluorosis:
- Putting very little toothpaste on a child’s toothbrush.
- Keeping an eye on kids while they brush to ensure they are spitting out fluoridated toothpaste or mouthwash and not swallowing it.
- Preventing children from accessing toothpaste and mouthwash by keeping it out of their reach.
- Learning more about their community’s water fluoridation program.
- Asking about the fluoride treatment programs offered by your child’s school.
Get a Dental Check-Up with a Dentist in Kapolei
The use of fluoride in dentistry in the United States has less than 100 years of history—nevertheless, we cannot imagine this profession without it. Although fluorosis’ looks can scare a parent, this condition is mainly cosmetic and poses no risks to your kid’s oral health.
If you still have any questions, any professional from Kidshine Pediatric Dental Group can diagnose and treat your children. Remember that once your kid turns one year old, it’s time to start getting regular dental check-ups.
If you haven’t done that in the last six months, book an appointment!